How to Minister to Those in Ministry. (Leviticus 6:8-7:38)

We've been conditioned to think that when we go to church, the minister ministers to us. Suppose I told you that according to the bible, it's also the job of the people to minister to the minister, the pastor. Is that a revolutionary idea, or what? 

It's not one that we often think about. But I believe according to the bible, there is a responsibility upon Christian people to do that. If that is so, then how do you do that? Well, interestingly enough, there is a passage in the book of Leviticus that really highlights that very issue. I would say it illustrates not only the fact that this is supposed to happen but the specifics of how it happens. So, let's look at Leviticus and see what it has to say about the people ministering to the priests of our day pastors and ministers.

So, turn with me to Leviticus Chapter 6, and I'm going to begin reading with verse 8. So, we're going to jog, or better run through this passage at some pace, but before I start, I want to tell you that there are two things going on here. Part of this passage is directed to the priest, and part of the passage is directed to the people.

As I go through these verses rather rapidly, notice how often it talks about what the priest is supposed to do and get. So, with all of that in mind, we will kick off in Leviticus Chapter 6, starting at verse 8.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.

(Lev 6: 8-9)

So, two little observations alert us to what's going on. In the first place, he's talking to the priest, the sons of Aaron and Aaron himself. Secondly, he's talking about the first of the sacrifices, the burnt offering sacrifice. And what he's saying in this passage is you have to keep the fire burning. It is to never go out.

And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen trousers he shall put on his body and take up the ashes of the burnt offering which the fire has consumed on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. Then he shall take off his garments, put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.

(Lev 6: 10-11)

Now, verses 8 and 9 had to do with the fire of this sacrifice but now verses 10 and 11 have to do with the ashes of the sacrifice.  

The next thing he talks about is the fat. 

And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.

(Lev 6: 12)

The point is he has talked about the fire, the ashes, and now he's going to talk about the fat, and he simply says the wood should be put on there every morning to keep the fire burning, and then you should put the fat on it about the peace offering. 

First, verse 13, repeats what he said in verse 12 saying again “the fire should never go out."

Now, he says that several times in these verses, and anytime the scripture does that, it does it for emphasis. Repetition is for emphasis. So, the point is the fire is to always be burning. The Israelites would have understood that to mean that they always had access to the Lord. 

Now, let me explain that these offerings do not pertain to redemption or salvation. The Passover was when they got redeemed by the blood of the Passover.

These offerings or sacrifices are called memorials. In other words, the Passover was their initial redemption, and the fire was to always keep burning, so to mean they could always go to the Lord. So, these offerings were a way to maintain their fellowship with the Lord.

That is key to all of the sacrifices. Is that they are memorials. It's like the Lord's Supper. We call that a memorial. It is a reminder to us that Christ died for us. Well, these are reminders of various spiritual truths to the Israelites.

It then says he says in verse 16.

And the remainder of it Aaron and his sons shall eat with unleavened bread. It shall be eaten in a holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of meeting, they shall eat it.

(Lev 6: 16)

Notice the priests should eat part of this offering, verse 17.

It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of My offerings made by fire; it is most holy, like the sin offering and the trespass offering. All the males among the children of Aaron may eat it. It shall be a statute forever in your generations concerning the offerings made by fire to the Lord. Everyone who touches them must be holy.

(Lev 6: 17-18)

The point of that verse that's really important is that only the priest could eat it.

Then, in verses 19 and 20, the Lord conveyed to Aaron, 

'This is the offering of Aaron and his sons which they shall present to the Lord, starting on the day of his anointment: one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a daily grain offering, half in the morning and half at night.'

(Lev 6: 19-20)

Verse 21 then outlines the preparation.

'It should be made in a pan with oil, and once mixed, brought in. The baked portions of the grain offering are to be offered for a sweet aroma to the Lord.'

(Lev 6: 21)

Now, some of this is a reiteration of what we previously encountered in the book. This is evident in verse 22, which reiterates this again. This clarifies that the priest needed to offer a sacrifice and offering to the Lord. 

He was not to become so engrossed in serving the Lord by sacrificing animals brought to him by the people that he neglected his own worship of the Lord. If I were speaking to or about a group of ministers, I would emphasize this because one of the hazards of ministry is becoming so preoccupied with serving the Lord that you forget to nurture your personal relationship with the Lord. I've had pastors confide in me about this very struggle.

This illustrates the priest serving the Lord by making sacrifices for the people, but he also needed to make a sacrifice for himself, an offering, if you will. 

So far, we've discussed the burnt offering and the grain offering. Next is the sin offering. Verse 24. 

The Lord further instructed Moses, 'Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, "This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed, the sin offering shall be killed before the Lord. It is most holy.

(Lev 6: 24-25)

This simply emphasizes that the lamb used for this offering should be slaughtered in the same location as the burnt offering.

Then, verse 26 goes on to state.

The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting.

(Lev 6: 26) 

We're back to other offerings that the people bring to him, and he can eat them. I recall mentioning at the outset that we should pay attention to the actions of the priest. He is consuming parts of these offerings, except for the one he offers for himself.

Everyone who touches its flesh must be holy. And when its blood is sprinkled on any garment, you shall wash that on which it was sprinkled, in a holy place.

(Lev 6: 27)

So, if you touched the sacrifice, which is holy, the sanctity was imparted to you. However, if the blood touched your clothes, you needed to cleanse it to prevent defilement. The term 'everyone' here refers to the people, not just the priest. Therefore, garments with blood had to be washed to eliminate impurity, as stated in the next verse.

'But the earthen vessels in which it is boiled shall be broken, and if it is boiled in a bronze pot, it shall be both soaked and rinsed in water, scoured and rinsed in water. But the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken. And if it is boiled in a bronze pot, it shall be both scoured and rinsed in water.

(Lev 6: 28-29)

Now, what is the significance of this is that the earthen vessels were porous, so if the blood seeped into the pores, it could later become impure. Hence, the earthen vessel, made of clay, was to be broken. If a metal vessel was used, the blood would not penetrate the pores, so it just needed to be thoroughly scrubbed to remove all traces of blood.

Verse 30 adds,  

But no sin offering from which any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of meeting, to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten. It shall be burned in the fire.

(Lev 6: 30)

They were instructed not to mix the holy and the common. Now, these are instructions, most of which we've encountered before regarding the sin offering.

The next section in the next chapter, Leviticus chapter 7, verses 1-21, primarily detail the procedures and regulations for the guilt offering and the fellowship offering. Here is a summary and a subsequent explanation from a New Testament Christian perspective:

Leviticus 7:1-21, which I don’t intend to read for you as it contains a lot of repetition is a further section where specific instructions are given regarding the guilt offering and the fellowship offering.

The guilt offering involves making restitution for sins committed against the Lord or others. Various parts of the offering are allocated to the priests and their families. The fellowship offering, on the other hand, is a voluntary offering expressing gratitude and communion with God. The offeror shares a portion of the offering with the priests and consumes the rest in a festive meal.

As I said when we came across this before we find in the Old Testament, the guilt and fellowship offerings provided a structured way for the Israelites to approach God, seek forgiveness, and express gratitude. 

However, with the coming of Jesus Christ as the fulfilment of the Law, the need for these specific offerings as described in Leviticus diminished. Jesus, through His sacrificial death on the cross, became the ultimate atonement for our sins, making the guilt offering obsolete.

In the New Testament, we learn that Christ's sacrifice is sufficient to cleanse us from all sin and guilt 

….we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

(Hebrews 10:10). 

We don't need to present physical offerings to the Lord to seek forgiveness. Instead, we approach God in faith, acknowledging the finished work of Jesus on the cross, and seeking forgiveness through prayer and repentance.

Regarding the fellowship offering, the concept of communion and fellowship with God remains central to Christian faith. In the New Testament, especially in the teachings of Jesus and the writings of the apostles, believers are encouraged to offer themselves as living sacrifices as illustrated by Pauls call saying. 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

(Romans 12:1)

This means dedicating our lives to God, living in communion with Him, and expressing gratitude for His grace and love.

The act of sharing a meal, as seen in the fellowship offering, also holds significance in Christianity. It symbolizes our unity and oneness as the body of Christ as described in (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). 

The Lord's Supper, instituted by Jesus during the Last Supper, is a profound expression of this fellowship, reminding believers of Christ's sacrifice and their union with Him and fellow believers.

In conclusion, while the specifics of the guilt and fellowship offerings may not be practiced in the same manner in Christianity, the foundational principles of seeking forgiveness, expressing gratitude, and enjoying fellowship with God and fellow believers are deeply relevant and meaningful to the Christian faith. Christ's sacrifice has brought a new dimension to our relationship with God, emphasizing faith, grace, and communion in a way that far outshines the Old Testament rituals.

Alright, I said this passage was about in two parts, and we've run through both at quite a pace. Are you exhausted yet? 

What have I said is the first part of the message is addressed to the priest. There are five offerings, and each of these is a repetition of what we've already seen in the opening chapters of Leviticus.  But the difference here is it's saying the priest can eat it.

The second part of the package deals with the people and it tells them what not to eat. This closing section of Leviticus 7 addresses the prohibition of consuming fat and blood of animals as part of the dietary laws.

The Israelites are commanded not to eat the fat of animals offered as sacrifices, as it is considered an offering to the Lord. Blood is emphasized as sacred and is not to be consumed, as it represents life, all life ultimately belongs to God. The chapter concludes by reiterating the regulations regarding the offerings and the responsibilities of the priests.

From a New Testament Christian perspective, these regulations are no longer binding on believers. The teachings of Jesus and the apostles, particularly the record of the discussions among the earlier Christians that took place in Jerusalem and recorded in Acts 15, made it clear that Christians are not required to follow these specific dietary laws. Jesus himself declared all foods clean, shifting the focus from external rules to matters of the heart and faith. 

So, Jesus said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?”

(Mark 7:18-19).

The concept of blood, however, retains its significance in Christianity. Blood still represented life and is of course tied to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.

In the New Testament, the shedding of Jesus' blood is seen as the ultimate and complete atonement for the sins of humanity. 

We commemorate this through the symbolic drinking of wine or red grape juice during the Lord's Supper, acknowledging the life given for their salvation.

While these dietary laws outlined in Leviticus 7 no longer apply directly to Christians, the principles of reverence, obedience, and gratefulness towards God remain relevant. 

Christians are encouraged to live a life that honours God, demonstrating their gratitude for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which has set them free from the burden of the Law (Galatians 5:1)."

So, what's the point of all of this in terms of what I said at the beginning about ministering to the minister. Well, frankly, there's a lot of repetition. If you go through the first five chapters of Leviticus, he lays out these five offerings, gets to the middle chapter 6, and goes all the way through Chapter 7. And he repeats a lot of what he said.

The difference is this: he is in one passage addressing it to the priest, and in another he addresses it to the people. The additional idea here is what is to be eaten. So, the priest can eat this. The priest can eat this, and the priest can't eat that, and the people can't eat that. And that's really what's going on here.

I take it that if you distill all these verses down especially in light of what was said in the first chapters, that's the point. The priest is to get a portion of every offering except for the burnt offering. It’s our obligation to give our best to the Lord, but we must recognize that a portion of our giving belongs to those who are in ministry, whatever that may be. 

So, how in the world do we make anything out of that? I'm not a priest, and you don't have to bring a lamb or a bull or a turtledove or pigeon to the Lord. So, how do we make an application out of this in this day and age.

Well, I think the principle here, which the New Testament supports, and if we had time, I could go to passage after passage, says that the people have an obligation to those who teach us. 

In other words, as I said in the beginning, you come to church thinking the minister is to minister to you, and that's true. But what we sometimes pass over is that you are to minister to the minister. 

Basically, that's the principle from this passage that what this message is teaching? So how do I do that? Let me give you two suggestions. 

Two things: pray for them. Yes, that one. Pray for them. 'Well, how do you do that? Pray for your minister/pastor on Sunday morning and pray for me also by the way if I may be so bold.

If you really want to minister to the minister, pray them.

I like to make a second suggestion. The second suggestion I made was: you need to encourage him. Now, how do you encourage your pastor? Why does the pastor/minister need encouragement? And I'm going to tell you, pastoring is a discouraging very job sometimes.

That's the problem people in the I meet with pastors from all over the North of England and I'm telling you, they get discouraged. So, here's the way you can encourage me. You ready? And this is what I told them Sunday: if you learn something, don't say to the preacher, 'I enjoyed your sermon.' That's nice. I'm glad you enjoyed it, But better say  'You know, you taught me something this today I've never seen before,' that's the kind of stuff every good pastor loves to hear, what you taught me today really helped me.

If you really want to encourage a preacher, you say to him, and it doesn't have to be that day, it can be six months later, but go say to him, 'You know, you preached a message on X, and that really helped me spiritually,' and be specific. That's the kind of thing that really ministers to the minister.

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